The Pure Smart

Hey i am wondering how many of you all are driving the Smart Pure? That is the car i want to get as it fits my budget nicely, and from what i am told, they are harder to get as the Passion model is what the majority wants to get both in the coupe and the convertible. And another thing, how do you all like the Pure car compared to the Passion?

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I signed up to get a Passion, and somewhere out there, my reservation still exists. However, I'm monstrously impatient (and my old car died rather dramatically), so I bought an orphan smart Pure.

I've driven the Passion and the Cabrio, but I have to admit, I love my Pure. I get all the benefits of the smart with a slightly smaller price tag. Yeah, I don't have electric windows and the wipers don't turn themselves on, but I'm not quite so inept that I cannot manage those things myself. I did add power steering and had them throw in a better stereo (the smart 10), but it was still well within my price limit (which, as a grad school student, was rather small). I do sometimes miss having A/C, but I just roll the windows down (which has the added benefit of hearing "what the hell is that?" as I drive by).

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment for me.

If you care more for functionality then I would think the pure is the best way to go. Just remember to opt for the AC. My reservation is a pure because I don't want electric windows with the 300 dollars motor to go bad later. Nor do I want the alloy wheels that will pain me to bump the curb. I do not listen to music when I drive so I can monitor the engine so the "no radio" is another plus for me. The only thing I want that's not offered in pure is the techometer.

I just picked up my yellow/black Pure on Monday. It was an orphan, and the only factory upgrade it has is A/C (a must here in TX.!). It doesn't have a sound system, but I plan on adding my own shortly. I read on one of the Smart enthusiast websites that only about 7% of the reservations are for the Pure. Reasonable minds may differ of course, but I don't see the value of paying extra for electric windows and mirrors in a car where I can easily reach the passenger side manual controls from the driver's seat. I also don't need paddle shifters- this ain't no sports car! ;-) Finally, the clear roof and the sporty wheels didn't impress me much (I might have felt differently if the roof opened [a poor man's convertable]). So far, I'm really happy with my Pure. And from what I understand, Smart will likely stop offering yellow, so a yellow Pure may end up as rare as rocking horse poo!

Hey guys thanks for the input on the Pure i was very fortunate to get an orpahed Pure with AC and the Smart radio, both options i really wanted. I got that car in Metallic Blue with a Silver Tridon Shell and man it is a blast to drive. I was about to cave in and get a Passion, but i got an email from one of the dealers at the Tysons Corner Smart center, and an orphan became available asap, and was able to get it the same day.

I have test driven all three and think they are all fun little cars. I thought power steering would be an issue until I test drove the pure. I think the solid roof is nice. I wasn't sure I would like the heating from the clear roof and knew I didn't want a convertible.

I ordered a yellow Pure for several reasons. While I love convertibles, I dislike sun/moon roofs with their light-shadow-light-shadow driving distraction. And while I'd kinda like mag wheels, I didn't like those offered in the Passion. I did get a/c and an upgrade radio for the better cd player and am very happy. I didn't order the power steering, and don't miss it even with my creaky infirmities. Can see little advantage in that option and parallel park with ease. A bit of physical therapy ... very little!

However ...

I do have pretty painful arthritis, and the crank windows are terribly stiff. They did not offer them as an option when I ordered, but apparently do now and I'd get them I keep looking for a junkyard or derelict power window Smart to get the regulator and motor for driver side only (over $300 from the dealer's parts bin), although it is getting a bit easier with time.

The only gripe I have with the wheels is the tiny openings around the valve stems. Thick male fingers can't get a grip, and I check tire pressure religiously. They could be disastrous to nails and a manicure. As mentioned, I have irritating arthritis. My easy solution was a set of $3.99 metal hex valve caps from the auto parts store, and a 7/16" nut driver I keep in my glove box along with my tire gauge.

Of course, the month before my car was delivered, Smart dropped the yellow option. I wanted it as IMHO, it's the most visible of the colors, and with a small car, I'm especially anxious to be seen. I drive with DRLs, and keep a defensive watch out, but no matter how safe the car is, accidents are hassles. So, I got white, and just found a set of panels on eBay. Anyone want a set of white panels?

Then I've found that the black top really heats up the car when sitting in the Midwest summer sun. I wasn't anxious to just slap on any old paint without some research. With help from this site, I have found that the cloth textured panel is poly urethane, which will help me select the proper white paint and preparation technique. I'm kind of grumbling about the stylists who stick us with black tops, and make it worse with a textured surface, but those are not major problems. (I may develop simple kits to prep and repaint the tops. Let me know if there is enough interest and what colors would be desired. White or silver are best for heat protection, but tops could be any color.)

Conclusion. The Pure suits me just fine and to upgrade, I'd spend well over $1000 more and get items that I didn't want, and be more likely to break down. I note that I stand out a bit in crowds of Smarts with my hubcaps, and just smile and feel the bulge in my wallet.

I lucked up and got a Pure in the color I wanted. Gray. Only option is A/C, radio. Less stuff to break.

Bob Storck said:

I ordered a yellow Pure for several reasons. While I love convertibles, I dislike sun/moon roofs with their light-shadow-light-shadow driving distraction. And while I'd kinda like mag wheels, I didn't like those offered in the Passion. I did get a/c and an upgrade radio for the better cd player and am very happy. I didn't order the power steering, and don't miss it even with my creaky infirmities. Can see little advantage in that option and parallel park with ease. A bit of physical therapy ... very little!

However ...

I do have pretty painful arthritis, and the crank windows are terribly stiff. They did not offer them as an option when I ordered, but apparently do now and I'd get them I keep looking for a junkyard or derelict power window Smart to get the regulator and motor for driver side only (over $300 from the dealer's parts bin), although it is getting a bit easier with time.

The only gripe I have with the wheels is the tiny openings around the valve stems. Thick male fingers can't get a grip, and I check tire pressure religiously. They could be disastrous to nails and a manicure. As mentioned, I have irritating arthritis. My easy solution was a set of $3.99 metal hex valve caps from the auto parts store, and a 7/16" nut driver I keep in my glove box along with my tire gauge.

Of course, the month before my car was delivered, Smart dropped the yellow option. I wanted it as IMHO, it's the most visible of the colors, and with a small car, I'm especially anxious to be seen. I drive with DRLs, and keep a defensive watch out, but no matter how safe the car is, accidents are hassles. So, I got white, and just found a set of panels on eBay. Anyone want a set of white panels?

Then I've found that the black top really heats up the car when sitting in the Midwest summer sun. I wasn't anxious to just slap on any old paint without some research. With help from this site, I have found that the cloth textured panel is poly urethane, which will help me select the proper white paint and preparation technique. I'm kind of grumbling about the stylists who stick us with black tops, and make it worse with a textured surface, but those are not major problems. (I may develop simple kits to prep and repaint the tops. Let me know if there is enough interest and what colors would be desired. White or silver are best for heat protection, but tops could be any color.)

Conclusion. The Pure suits me just fine and to upgrade, I'd spend well over $1000 more and get items that I didn't want, and be more likely to break down. I note that I stand out a bit in crowds of Smarts with my hubcaps, and just smile and feel the bulge in my wallet.

I have noticed the window crank does dig into my leg where the power window switch might not be as painful but I can still reach over and crank the passenger window up and down easily enough. The hubcaps look fantastic painted to match the body color, I painted the smart logo in the center silver and yellow. There are times when I wish I had a cabrio but that passes. Love my Black\Black\black Pure.

Today, I bought a used smart (five thousand miles) from a dealer locally. I got a fair deal -an extended service contract thrown in for the price I wanted to pay. They got a Ford E-350 super duty XLT 12 passenger van to take to auction or sell.

I wasn't sure I wanted a pure after driving the fancier ones. This one has the tomato color (of last year's colors, I preferred yellow) and was surprised at how this one was optioned. The interior isn't just plain grey, but more of a grey/black combo. It has heated seats, a/c, power steering, the terrible stereo that wants to be replaced and the alarm. The only thing it doesn't have that I wanted is the leather.

I was topping off the gas tank with some high octane fuel (who knows what it was filled with before) and a guy in a Subaru jumped out to ask me about mileage. I told him, "I don't know..just bought it". He eyeballed the pump a few times and shook his head though, as it stopped at three gallons.